Feel like grilling chicken, but you're craving Chinese? Try our Panda Express teriyaki chicken copycat recipe, and you'll get the best of both worlds. The meat is tender and abundant in flavor, and the glaze is thick, sweet, and savory.
Looking for other Chinese dishes? Try our recipes for Panda Express mushroom chicken and Panda Express broccoli beef. Don't miss our collection of 9 Panda Express stir fry recipes, too!
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Ingredients
All the ingredients for our copycat panda express teriyaki chicken can be easily found at your local grocery store. The exception is the Shoaxing wine, which can be ordered online or purchased at an Asian specialty store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.
- Meat: We used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but breasts would also work.
- Aromatics: Fresh minced garlic and ginger are used in the teriyaki sauce.
- Wine: Shoaxing wine (or substitute with cooking sherry) is used in the marinade and in the teriyaki sauce.
- Oil: We used classic olive oil for grilling and sesame oil in the marinade and in the sauce.
- Acid: We used rice vinegar in the sauce.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Gluten Free: Use arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and tamari instead of the soy sauce.
- Vegan: Use this sauce on top of grilled slabs of tofu, cauliflower florets, or mushrooms.
- Changing the Meat: Use breast, but make sure to not over cook it.
- Lower Carbs: Omit the cornstarch or replace it with glucomannan powder (used in Japanese cooking).
- Adding Veggies: Stir fry broccoli, white onion, red bell pepper, and zucchini.
How to Make
Gather the marinade ingredients for the teriyaki chicken.
- Whisk the ingredients together, then mix up the cornstarch slurry and whisk it into the marinade.
- Place the 4 thighs in a zip-top bag and pour the marinade over top. Massage the marinade into the meat with your hands, then close up the bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Gather the ingredients for the homemade teriyaki sauce. Place all the ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, in a small saucepan.
- Whisk and bring the sauce to a low boil over medium high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and then reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. It will thicken as it starts to cool.
- Pat the meat with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Brush a cast iron grill pan with olive oil and allow it to heat up until hot, roughly 2 minutes. Carefully place 2 thighs in the pan.
- Cook the boneless, skinless chicken thighs for one minute, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 minutes more. It's done when it is no longer pink inside and the internal temperature is 165°F when a meat thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Place the meat on a plate and tent with foil. Allow to rest for ten minutes for the juices to redistribute.
- Slice in ½-inch slices and brush with homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Serve the Panda Express teriyaki chicken with steamed rice and place extra teriyaki sauce on the side to use for dipping or on the rice. Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
Our Panda Express teriyaki chicken is extremely easy to make, so you can enjoy this at home any night of the week. Satisfy your Chinese food cravings and impress your family with this fragrant and flavorful dinner entrée.
Recipe FAQs
Panda Express states on their website that this entree is "grilled chicken thigh hand-sliced to order and served with teriyaki sauce."
Since the meat is marinated and grilled, it has less fat than most of the other entrees they offer. When ordering this entree from Panda Express, it is served on its own without any vegetables.
For a 6 ounce serving size, Panda Express has 300 calories, 13g of fat, 8g of carbs, 8g of sugar, and 36g of protein.
For a serving size of one chicken thigh with ¼ of the sauce, our copycat version has 390 calories, 22g of fat, 3.9g of carbs, 14.5g of sugar and 24.5g of protein. For more nutritional information, please scroll to the end of the recipe card.
Our recipe also uses all of the ⅔ cup of teriyaki sauce in the nutrition facts. With this amount of sauce, there will be enough teriyaki for dipping or to serve on top of your rice.
Serve
Feel free to add other Panda Express copycat sides like our Super Greens, Chow Mein or Fried Rice. If you want something sweet, grill up some sliced fresh pineapple to serve on the side.
When you make our copycat version of Panda Express teriyaki chicken, you can serve this with steamed rice, fried rice, or cauliflower rice.
This recipe makes enough teriyaki sauce to brush some on the meat and still have some leftover to spoon on top of rice. It tastes amazing on rice.
Store
- Make Ahead: You can marinate the chicken ahead of time and make the teriyaki sauce, but it's best to cook the chicken just before serving.
- Leftovers: Any leftover Panda Express chicken or teriyaki sauce can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze leftover teriyaki chicken in a freezer friendly container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight.
Expert Tips
- Want to save time? Make the sauce and marinade the meat the night before.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger.
- Using a cast iron grill pan? Cook the meat in batches.
- Marinade the meat for at least 30 minutes.
- Want this sweeter? Increase the brown sugar by 2 more tablespoons.
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Recipe
Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Shoaxing wine or cooking sherry
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Grilled Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Teriyaki Sauce
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Shoaxing wine or cooking sherry
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Marinating the Chicken
- Place the chicken in a gallon zip-top bag and pour the marinade inside. Massage the marinade into the meat, close the bag, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Teriyaki Sauce
- Whisk the sauce ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, in a small saucepan, then bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, whisk in the cornstarch slurry, and let it simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat to allow it to cool and thicken.
Cooking the Chicken
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and discard the marinade.
- Add the oil to a cast iron grill pan set over medium high heat and heat up the pan until it's hot, roughly 2 minutes.
- Place 2 thighs in the pan and let them cook on medium high for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it has an internal temperature of 165°F and is no longer pink inside. Repeat with the other 2 thighs.
- Place the grilled meat on a plate, tent with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the meat with a serrated knife against the grain, cutting it in half-inch strips.
Serving
- Reheat the sauce over medium low heat, then brush on top of the sliced chicken. Extra sauce can be used for a dipping sauce or served on rice, which is delicious!
- Serve the teriyaki chicken with steamed rice, and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- Save time by making the sauce and marinating the chicken night before.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger in the sauce for the best flavor.
- If you're using a cast iron grill pan, cook the chicken in batches.
- Plan to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes.
- If you like a sweet teriyaki sauce, increase the brown sugar by 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Denise Stock
What can I substitute for the wine or sherry? I never have either of those and I don't want to buy a big bottle of either just for a few tablespoons for this recipe. I am most anxious to try this recipe. It sounds wonderful!!
Thanks a ton,
Denise
Emma
Denise,
To make a traditional teriyaki sauce chefs use mirin, sake or shoaxing. Substitutes can be cooking sherry, dry white wine or rice wine vinegar. If using the last two choices, counteract the sourness with 1/2 tsp sugar. For example, for 1 tsp. of mirin, sake or shoaxing needed in a recipe, substitute with 1 tsp rice wine vinegar or dry white wine and 1/2 tsp. sugar. Remember, there are 3 tsp in a U.S. tablespoon.
Lucy R
Flavor good but yet another recipe that just sticks ingredients into the recipe in any old order instead of the sequence they are used. Marinade ingredients list starts with sesame oil, sherry and soy but the instructions start with mix cornstarch and slurry. UGH!
Emma
Lucy, Thanks for letting us know of this mistake in the recipe card - cornstarch slurry instructions were in the wrong order. It is now fixed. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavor of our teriyaki chicken.
Tiffany
Can i use shrimp for this recipe instead of chicken?
Emma
Yes, you definitely could!
Jennifer L Parker
I made this for my "foodie" husband and he said it was the best chicken teriyaki he's ever had!
Emma
That's quite a compliment! Thank you so much.
Jeff
I made this for our finicky teens last night and it was very well received. They asked for seconds! I am sure I will make it again in the future. We did not have rice vinegar on hand so i used apple cider vinegar. No one seemed to notice (I'm vegetarian and did not have the meal).
By the way, your site states, "we love to inspire moms to cook from scratch with real food for their families." While i am sure more moms cook than dads, some of us dads share those responsibilities. This is not a major issue but the statement is shortsighted.
Emma
We're thrilled to hear that your teens enjoyed the chicken so much, Jeff! It can be hard to please picky eaters, but we're glad it met with their approval. Kudos to you for being such a champion dad in the kitchen!
Beth
The chicken is chewy, and the sauce is thick and tangy. The sauce tastes garlicky, sweet, and then tangy. The chicken is yummy!
Emma
We're so glad that you enjoyed this, Beth!
Alex
The chicken is soft, tender, and juicy. The sauce is sweet, savory, and salty. I enjoyed this copycat recipe!
Emma
That's wonderful to hear, Alex!